Air district calls Tuesday Spare the Air day

FAIRFIELD — Tuesday is a Spare the Air day in the Fairfield-Suisun area, which means people who burn wood in their fireplaces face a fine.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued the 24-hour Spare the Air alert to ban wood-burning, both indoors and outdoors. The stated goal is to protect air quality during a time when weather conditions could trap wood smoke near the ground.

“Cold, still weather conditions will lead to excessive build-up of wood smoke unless people refrain from using their fireplaces and wood stoves,” agency Executive Director Jack Broadbent said in a press release.

Southern Solano County, including Fairfield, Suisun City, Vallejo and Benicia, is in the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and is subject to the mandatory Spare the Air alert. Northern Solano County, including Vacaville, Rio Vista and Dixon, is in the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District, which does not have mandatory alerts.

Reach Barry Eberling at 427-6929 or [email protected] Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/beberlingdr.

Barry Eberling

Barry Eberling has been a reporter with the Daily Republic since 1987. He covers Solano County government, transportation, growth and the environment. He received his bachelors of art degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and his masters degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley.